OVERNIGHT REGULATION: AG nominee waits for vote
February 11, 2015
February 11, 2015
Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, you're daily rundown of rules from Capitol Hill and beyond. It's Wednesday evening here in Washington, and we're gearing up for Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch's (possible) Senate vote tomorrow. Without further adieu, here are the biggest headlines from Congress and the federal agencies.
THE BIG STORY
Senate Democrats are furious with Republicans, accusing them of "slow-walking" Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch's confirmation.
Lynch, who has won the support of a number of Republicans, is running up against opposition from conservatives like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who Democrats say are determined to delay the process as long as possible.
"Her nomination has been pending longer than any modern attorney general nominee," said Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"We should all be able to agree that confirming the top law enforcement position should be an urgent priority of the Senate," he added.
Lynch's nomination goes before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, and she likely has enough Republican support to pass, but its likely Republicans will delay the vote. If any member objects, the vote will be pushed back two weeks until the Senate returns from its February break.
Lynch sailed through her confirmation hearing earlier this month, earning praise from Republicans. But opposition to President Obama's immigration actions has led Sens. Paul and Ted Cruz (Texas) to oppose her confirmation, leaving fellow GOP senators with a tough vote.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's communications director took to Twitter this week to express Democrats' frustrations with the process.
"Why are Republicans slow-walking Loretta Lynch's AG nomination?" asked Adam Jentleson, Reid's communications director.
ON TAP FOR THURSDAY
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to vote on the nomination of Loretta lynch as attorney general. http://1.usa.gov/
The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to discuss how to give community banks and credit unions some regulatory relief. http://1.usa.gov/
The House Judiciary Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee will hold a hearing to discuss recent Supreme Court patent cases. http://1.usa.gov/
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing on the President's Executive Actions on Immigration and what impact they have had on federal and state elections.http://1.usa.gov/
The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing to give an update on the transfer of prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility. http://1.usa.gov/
TOMORROW'S REGS TODAY
The Obama administration will publish 157 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Thursday's edition of the Federal Register.
Here's what to watch:
--The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will issue new recommendations for pharmaceutical companies developing drugs that treat alcoholism.
The FDA's draft guidance suggests new "patterns of drinking" that the pharmaceutical industry should take into account when developing drugs to treat alcoholism.
"Traditionally, alcoholism treatments have been assessed based on the number of patients who refrain from drinking altogether," the agency writes. "Patients who attain and sustain complete abstinence from alcohol may be assumed to accrue clinical benefit."
The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1Chl33G
--The U.S. International Trade Commission will look into alleged knock-off versions of the toy Lego.
Lego filed a complaint with the trade commission earlier this month and requested it issue a cease and desist order to companies producing these knock-offs. http://bit.ly/
--The Department of the Treasury will fix mistakes made in an ethics rule it published last fall.
The Treasury Department issued the ethics rule for its employees in November, but is updating those rules to correct the mistakes.
The corrections go into effect immediately. http://bit.ly/
--The Department of Agriculture (USDA) may cancel a marketing program that promotes honey.
The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service collects fees from the honey industry to research, promote, and educate consumers about their products.
But honey producers will vote in April on whether to end the program. http://bit.ly/1uFFFSX
NEWS RIGHT NOW
Asset forfeiture: GOP members of the House Ways and Means Committee slammed the chief of the Internal Revenue Service for allegedly seizing the assets of innocent small businesses. http://1.usa.gov/
Jury duty: Lawmakers reintroduced legislation Wednesday that would make it illegal for sexual orientation to be considered in jury selection. http://bit.ly/
Tiger trafficking: The White House has laid out a multipart plan aimed at cracking down on illegal wildlife trafficking domestically and abroad. http://bit.ly/1EYZDfg
Residential furnaces: The Department of Energy (DOE) wants to update efficiency standards for residential natural gas-powered furnaces for the first time in more than 20 years. http://bit.ly/1EYZDfg
Union elections: Republicans and Democrats butted heads Wednesday in the first Senate hearing on a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule that would speed up union elections. http://bit.ly/
Obama on same-sex marriage: President Barack Obama pushed back against inaccurate claims that he concealed his true position on same-sex marriage during his 2008 campaign, The Wall Street Journal reported. http://on.
Internet: Members of the Federal Communication Commission are criticizing the agency's plan to regulate broadband Internet, The Wall Street Journal reported. http://on.
IT budgets: A recent report from the International Association of IT Asset Managers warns of bloated IT budgets for federal agencies, The Washington Post reports. http://wapo.st/
BY THE NUMBERS
Less than 50 percent: The chance you will get a live representative if you call the IRS this tax season.
$10.9 billion: The IRS budget this year.
$1 billion: How much has been cut from the IRS budget since its high-water mark in 2010.
13,000: The number of jobs the IRS has cut.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"You talk about waterboarding, this is waterboarding at its worst," Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) said to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen during a hearing about reports of the agency abusing innocent small business and seizing their assets.
We’ll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill’s Regulation page (http://thehill.com/regulation
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